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June 25, 2020 (IF10213 Updated June 25, 2020 Sri Lanka Background and Historical Setting including efforts to reduce the authority of the executive The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, known as presidency. Ceylon until 1972, is a constitutional democracy in South Asia with relatively high levels of development. It is Figure 1. Sri Lanka In Brief strategically located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern tip of India’s Deccan Peninsula. The island nation was settled by successive waves of migration from India beginning in the 5th-century BC. Indo-Aryans from northern India established Sinhalese Buddhist kingdoms in the central part of the island. Tamil Hindus from southern India also settled in northeastern coastal areas and established a kingdom on the Jaffna Peninsula. Beginning in the 16th century, Sri Lanka was colonized in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, and English. Although Ceylon gained its independence from Britain peacefully in 1948, succeeding decades were marred by ethnic conflict between the country’s Sinhalese majority, clustered in the densely populated South and West, and the largely Hindu Tamil minority living in the North and East. Following independence, the Tamils—who had attained educational and civil service positions under the British— increasingly faced discrimination from the Sinhalese- dominated government, which made Sinhala the sole official language and gave preferences to Sinhalese in university admissions and government jobs. The Sinhalese, Sirisena’s governing coalition began to fracture after a poor who had deeply resented British favoritism toward the performance in February 2018 local elections, losing to the Tamils, saw themselves not only as the majority in Sri newly-formed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, Lanka, but also as a minority in a larger regional context which capitalized on rising Sinhalese ethnic nationalism. In that includes over 60 million Tamils in southern India. late 2018, Sirisena sparked a political crisis when he tried unsuccessfully to dismiss then-Prime Minister Ranil Civil War and Subsequent Political Wickremesinghe of the opposition United National Party Developments (UNP), and replace him with Mahinda Rajapaksa. For 26 years, from 1983 to 2009, Tamil militant separatist group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) sought The 2019 Presidential Election to establish a separate state or internal self-rule in the Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of former President and Tamil-dominated areas of Sri Lanka. Political, social, and current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as economic development was constrained by the ethnic Sri Lanka’s new president in November 2019. Gotabaya conflict and war between the government and the LTTE, won the election with 52.3% of total votes, while his main which cost an estimated 70,000-130,000 lives. political rival, Sajith Premedasa of the UNP, received 42% of the vote. Gotabaya Rajapaksa campaigned heavily on a After a violent end to the civil war in May 2009, when the platform of national security, pledging to suppress Islamist military crushed LTTE forces and precipitated a extremism. His and his brother’s key base of support is the humanitarian emergency in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-dominated Sinhalese Buddhist majority. Most Tamils, who are largely north, attention turned to whether the government had the Hindu or Christian, as well as most Muslims, voted for ability and intention to build a stable peace in Sri Lanka. Gotabaya’s opponent. Former Prime Minister Ranil Former President (2005-2015) and current Prime Minister Wickremesinghe of the UNP announced his resignation Mahinda Rajapaksa faced criticism for an allegedly following the election. This move opened the way for insufficient response to reported war crimes by government Gotabaya to select his brother as prime minister. The forces, a nepotistic and ethnically biased government, Rajapaksas’ political base is expected to be further increasing restrictions on media, and uneven economic strengthened in 2020 when the SLPP is projected by development. In the January 2015 presidential election, observers to win a majority of seats in parliament. The Mahinda was defeated by Maithripala Sirisena. Parliamentary election initially scheduled for June 2020 Parliamentary elections later in 2015 led to the formation of was rescheduled to August 2020 due to the novel a unity government supportive of Sirisena’s reform agenda, coronavirus pandemic. https://crsreports.congress.gov Sri Lanka Many observers fear that Gotabaya’s election could lead to publication of the Report of the U.N. Office of the High a return to nepotistic and authoritarian style government, an Commissioner for Human Rights Investigation on Sri end to the limited democratic reforms, and limited Lanka and was viewed by many at the time as a positive reconciliation measures with the ethnic Tamil community step toward justice in Sri Lanka. Following the adoption of that occurred under former President Sirisena. Gotabaya is the resolution, however, former President Sirisena backed reportedly seeking to repeal the 19th Amendment, a key away from supporting any significant involvement of reform of the previous government that curtails some of the international judges in a special judicial mechanism to powers of the president and makes the office more prosecute war crimes. The High Commissioner for Human accountable to parliament. For the location of his swearing- Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, noted steps taken by Sri in ceremony, Gotabaya chose a sacred Buddhist shrine in Lanka, but also called for a transitional justice mechanism the ancient capital of Anuradhapura. The shrine to deal with past human rights abuses. An Office of Missing commemorates the defeat in 140 BC of King Elara, a Tamil Persons was established, and a Right to Information law Hindu king, by the Buddhist King Dutugemunu. was passed during Sirisena’s term of office. Observers believe President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be reluctant to The context for the Presidential election was at least fulfill previous commitments made to the U.N. Human partially set by the April 2019 “Easter bombings” that Rights Council relating to a transitional justice agenda. killed over 250 people at several churches and hotels in Sri Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated in January 2020 that Lanka, and highlighted security failures of the Sirisena “Respect for fundamental human rights in Sri Lanka is in government. As a result, security was a key theme in the serious jeopardy following Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election.” election, which played in favor of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a HRW has also asserted that Gotabaya and his brother former Secretary of Defense who is credited by many Mahinda “were implicated in numerous human rights Sinhalese with playing a central role in defeating the violations during their previous years in power.” Ongoing Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009 and human rights concerns include unlawful killings, torture, ending the country’s 26-year-long civil war. sexual abuse, arbitrary detention, and violence against U.S.-Sri Lanka Relations LGBTI persons. Historically, U.S. policy toward Sri Lanka has included Strategic Setting focus on supporting Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions, Sri Lanka is situated near strategically important sea lanes encouraging its economic development, and promoting that transit the Indian Ocean. These lanes link energy-rich human rights. U.S. policy has also promoted bilateral trade Persian Gulf states with the economies of Asia. Maritime and addressed regional geopolitical dynamics. Through trade is increasingly integrating the Indian and Pacific foreign aid and diplomacy, the United States has supported Oceans’ littoral regions. Sri Lanka and India share close, initiatives intended to strengthen governance, democratic long-standing historical, cultural, and religious ties. India reform, rule of law, and human rights in Sri Lanka. The became involved in the counter-insurgency war against the United States is Sri Lanka’s single-largest market, LTTE following the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement. accounting for approximately 25% of Sri Lankan exports. Between 1987 and 1990, India lost over 1,200 soldiers in U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz reported in this conflict before then-Indian Prime Minister Rajiv June 2020 that the U.S. had given Sri Lanka $5.8 million Gandhi was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber in 1991. and 200 ventilators to assist its fight against COVID-19. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Following the Easter 2019 bombings of several churches Gotabaya Rajapaksa in November 2019 in an effort to and hotels in Colombo, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo improve bilateral ties. A $400 million loan for declared, “We stand with the Sri Lankan government and infrastructure projects and a $50 million loan for security people as they confront violent extremism and have offered assistance reportedly were offered by Modi. India, along our assistance as they work to bring the perpetrators to with the United States, has been an active voice for justice.” reconciliation and fair elections. Three key aspects of the U.S.-Sri Lanka bilateral While a candidate, Gotabaya stated he would “restore relationship include negotiations related to a new relations” with China, which were not as close under Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement and a new Sirisena as they were under Mahinda Rajapaksa. Under Status of Forces Agreement, and the implementation of the Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency, there was
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